Economic Overview and Outlook for the Montgomery Metropolitan Area June 2014 | Page 4

Economic Overview and Outlook
for the Montgomery Metropolitan Area

Alabama. Montgomery has a large military presence due to
the Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. The city is also the home
of several public and private universities/colleges as well
as high-tech manufacturing companies, including Hyundai
Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Table-10 reports the 10
largest employers in Montgomery in 2013. As of January 2013,

TABLE 8: EMPLOYMENT MONTGOMERY METRO (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)
Labor
Unemployment
Month
Employment Unemployment
Force
Rate (%)
Jan. 2013
166,523
154,025
12,498
7.5
Feb. 2013
166,948
154,897
12,051
7.2
Mar. 2013
166,661
155,764
10,897
6.5
Apr. 2013
166,889
157,278
9,611
5.8
May. 2013
167,478
157,341
10,137
6.1
June 2013
168,705
156,794
11,911
7.1
July 2013
167,555
155,885
11,670
7
Aug. 2013
166,783
155,035
11,748
7
Sep. 2013
165,633
154,428
11,205
6.8
Oct. 2013
165,741
154,890
10,851
6.5
Nov. 2013
165,850
155,925
9,925
6
Dec. 2013
165,534
155,827
9,707
5.9
Year 2013
166,692
155,674
11,018
6.6
Jan. 2014
165,658
154,159
11,499
6.9
Feb. 2014
166,376
154,076
12,300
7.4
Mar. 2014*
166,700
154,700
12,000
7.2
* Primary estimation

TABLE 9: EMPLOYMENT CATEGORY-MONTGOMERY METRO, MAY 2013
(SEASONALLY UNADJUSTED)
Occupation
All
Office and Administrative Support
Production
Sales and Related
Food Preparation and Serving Related
Transportation and Material Moving
Education, Training and Library
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Business and Financial Operations
Installation, Maintenance and Repair
Management
Protective Service
Construction and Extraction
Building/Grounds Cleaning and
Maintenance
Computer and Mathematical
Personal Care and Service

Employment
159,110
25,880
17,170
16,790
13,090
11,640
9,080
8,860
6,810
6,520
6,240
5,220
5,090

% of Total
100%
16%
11%
11%
8%
7%
6%
6%
4%
4%
4%
3%
3%

5,010

3%

4,170
4,020

3%
3%

Montgomery’s 10 largest employers were Maxwell-Gunter Air
Force Base, the State of Alabama, Montgomery Public Schools,
Baptist Health, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Alfa
Insurance, the City of Montgomery, Jackson Hospital and
Clinic, MOBIS Alabama and Rheem Water Heaters.
TABLE 10: MONTGOMERY METRO – 10 LARGEST EMPLOYERS, 2013

Figure-3 depicts the seasonally adjusted unemployment
rate in Montgomery metro and compares it with the rate in
Alabama. The shaded area indicates the recession of 2008.
The unemployment rate in Montgomery has been higher than
that of Alabama since January 2011, except for the months of
July and August 2013. There are several explanations for this.
First, as indicated by Table-7, the Real GDP in Montgomery
metro fell during 2012. Several important industries, including
finance, insurance and real estate, and government spending,
all shr ank during the year. This also reduced the number of
available jobs for local residents. The neighboring Birmingham
metro has now become the primary driving force of Alabama’s
economy; it makes important contributions to the state’s
unemployment rate. The unemployment rate in Birmingham
metro in March 2014 was 6.1%, which was much lower than
the state of Alabama’s unemployment rate of 6.7%.

Organization
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base 
State of Alabama 
Montgomery Public Schools   
Baptist Health
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing
Alabama
Alfa Insurance Companies
City of Montgomery
Jackson Hospital & Clinic, Inc.
MOBIS Alabama
Rheem Water Heaters

Employees
12,280
11,830
4,524
4,300
3,100
2,568
2,500
1,300
1,221
1,173

Product/Service
Federal Government
State Government
Public Schools
Hospitals/Clinics
Automobile
Manufacturing
Insurance/Services
Government Agency
Hospitals/Clinics
Automobile Components
Water Heater

The Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery plays
a critical role as part of the nation’s defense. The 42nd Air
Base Wing is the host installation for Maxwell Air Force Base
and Gunter Annex. The wing mission is to develop missionready Airmen and operate a world-class installation. The
wing is responsible for providing all base operating support,
infrastructure
and services
The unemployment rate in
support
Montgomery metro has been
for 42,000
higher than that of Alabama.
active-duty,

Table-9 reports the major employment categories in
Montgomery metro during May 2013. Production related jobs
now account for 11% of the total jobs in Montgomery metro.
Montgomery is the capital city of Alabama and is the seat
of Montgomery County. It is also the second largest city in
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